Circuit modeling of spintronic devices: a SPICE implementation

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Every engineer that has worked on designing an integrated circuit has to leverage an under- standing of device physics. Understanding device physics is essential when optimizing a design for speed, power, etc. These characteristics affect the bottom line when considering an integrated circuit used in a particular application. In order for there to be an under- standing of device physics, there must be a device model that is developed for a device of interest. The development of a device model often involves utilizing fundamental physical equations in a manner that is solvable by either analytical or numerical means.
This typically begins by simplifying fundamental physical equations, possibly spanning multiple domains, and considering the physical quantities of interest. In order to make simplifications, assumptions about the underlying physics must be made. It is the process of transitioning from known physics laws to simplified mathematical models that a device modeler spans.
This thesis will cover the device modeling aspects of a new classification of computing devices, spintronics. It will begin by stating the physical assumptions necessary for the operation of spintronic devices. Then it will go the process of deriving the underlying physical equations and stating them in a tractable form with the appropriate boundary conditions. Then these equations will be manipulated and mapped into an equivalent circuit. The equivalent circuits will them be validated against analytical solutions provided from other works. It will then finish by providing example devices that can be simulated with the develop device models, and some optimization results are proposed based off a simplified circuit model.